Oscar-nominated Birmingham actress Felicity Jones has landed the lead role in a new Star Wars movie.

The 31-year-old is in talks to appear in a brand-new Star Wars spin-off film directed by Nuneaton filmmaker Gareth Edwards, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

A number of actresses were testing for the part with Disney and Lucasfilm in Los Angeles last week - and it now appears Jones has won it.

Plot details are still unclear, with some reports saying the story centres on a group of bounty hunters hired by the Rebels to steal the plans of the first Death Star. It's not yet known what part Jones would play.

The spin-off film has a release date of December 16, 2016, a year after Star Wars: The Force Awakens - the seventh release in the hit series - hits cinemas later this year. Director Gareth Edwards previously helmed the recent remake of Godzilla.